Theme of Zoom Meeting: Life’s Purpose
2020 by Richard E. Gordon Last updated: 4/30/2022 8:39 AM
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Questions:
Perhaps your life’s purpose is personal. Something you would rather keep
private. That’s fine. You can keep it to yourself. Perhaps just try answering
these personal questions in your own mind. Still the questions are worded in
such a way that you can respond without revealing your specific purpose you
prefer to keep secret. Now for the questions, several containing links that will
steer you to related information.
1. A hammer has a purpose. So does a pen, an auto, an arrow. But how about you? Just think about this -- What is your life’s purpose?
2. Why do you think it is or is not important for a person to have an overriding life’s purpose? Is it important for each person to feel life has a purpose?
3. Without choosing to reveal your life’s main purpose, has this purpose changed during your adult years?
4. Think of a famous person you have heard or read about. Judging by his actions, what do you think her/his life’s purpose was? Why do you admire this purpose or look upon it with distain?
5. What do some famous people say about life’s purpose? Do you agree or disagree with what they say?
6. To become a President you admire, what do you think her/his main purpose should be?
7. What do you think of this idea? We would all benefit by taking the time to sit down and spell out in detail (a) what our life’s purpose is and (b) what must we do to fulfill this purpose.
8. Imagine you are a high school English teacher. You ask each of your students to write out what she/he considers life’s purpose. What purpose would be most commonly expressed? Do you think that purpose if fulfilled would benefit the student’s family? The community?
9. If you were in a coffee shop with your pals, why would you be comfortable or uncomfortable talking about life’s purpose(s)?
10. Does the universe have a purpose? If it doesn’t have a single, overriding purpose, what brought it into existence?
11. If you have a pet, what purpose does this pet fulfill? Imagine your pet dog or cat has been observing you for years. What does this pet think your purpose is?
12. Can parents instill a life’s purpose in their children?
13. What is the greatest purpose a person can have in life? Why do you think this purpose is so important?
14. One person believes her life has an overriding purpose while the other has never given any thought to life’s purpose. Which person will be most likely to achieve fulfillment and happiness in life?
15. Has our discussion today influenced you to consider more closely your own life’s purpose?
Quotations
“The
purpose of life
is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate,
and to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
―
2.
“The
mystery of human existence
lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.”
― FyodorThe
Brothers Karamazov
“The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to making things better.”
―
4. “The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.” ―Fyodor Dostoyevsky
5. “The soul which has no fixed purpose in life is lost; to be everywhere, is to be nowhere.” ―Michel de Montaigne
6. “The person without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder.” ―Thomas Carlyle
7. “True happiness… is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” ―Helen Keller
8. “Singleness of purpose is one of the chief essentials for success in life, no matter what may be one’s aim.” ―John D. Rockefeller
9. “It’s not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something.” – Winston S. Churchill
10. “The two most important days in life are the day you born and the day you find out why.” – Mark Twain